Is Dot's Homestyle Pretzels Parmesan Garlic Seasoned Pretzel Twists ultra-processed?

16 oz Pretzel Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Maltodextrin
E621 Monosodium glutamate

28 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed pretzel

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (processing marker) (canola oil, corn oil, and SOYBEAN OIL), salt (processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), buttermilk, garlic, corn syrup, monosodium glutamate (ultra-processing marker), NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR (ultra-processing marker), spices, parmesan cheese (processing marker) (milk, salt (processing marker), cheese culture, enzymes), lactic acid, citric acid, parsley, yeast

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid , E621 Monosodium glutamate

As written on the pack

ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA OIL, CORN OIL, AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL), SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, BUTTERMILK, GARLIC POWDER, CORN SYRUP, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SPICES, PARMESAN CHEESE (MILK, SALT, CHEESE CULTURE, ENZYMES), LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, DEHYDRATED PARSLEY, YEAST.

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

4 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 64 pretzel

From least to most processed, this one ranks 51st. 63% of the pretzel here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 64 pretzel, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0850031719859, last edited 8 June 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.